


Adventurers

by ami_ven



Category: Up (2009)
Genre: Community: writerverse, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10092050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: A grown-up Russell has something to share with his troop of Wilderness Explorers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ community "writerverse" prompts " _Up_ (2009)"  & "book"

“It’s your turn now, Mr. Russell!” said Jimmy, taking the geode he’d brought to show the others back to his seat. “What do you have to share?”

“Yeah!” chorused the rest of the Wilderness Explorers, looking up at him from their circle on the gym floor.

Russell smiled and carefully pulled an old, worn scrapbook from his backpack. “I brought this,” he said. “It was made a long time ago – before you were all born, before _I_ was born – and it’s one of the most important things I own.”

“Why?” asked Ed.

“This book started out as the plan for a trip to Paradise Falls,” he explained. “But it became so much more than that. The little boy who made it was a grown-up by the time I met him, and he’d never gotten to go to Paradise falls. Until he found that his wife had left him a note.”

Russell held open the page to show them Ellie’s note, _Thanks for the adventure – now go have a new one!_

“Did she die?” asked Sarah, softly.

“Yes, she did,” said Russell. “And her husband, Mr. Frederickson, was very sad. But he decided to take that adventure. And because I was trying to earn my Assisting the Elderly badge, I went with him. It was scary and difficult – but it was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“Why?” Ed asked again.

Russell smiled. “Because Mr. Frederickson became my best friend.” He flipped through the later pages, so they could see, the ones with pictures of Russell and Mr. Frederickson and Dug. “We learned to try new things, and that even little things could be an adventure, if you did them right. And,” he added, flipping pages again, “the last few pages are still blank. Because there’s always another adventure ahead.”

The explorers all looked at him for a long moment. “Wow, Mr. Russell,” said Jenny. “That’s so cool! Can we have adventures, too?”

“Anyone can have adventures,” he said. “So you’d better get started.”

THE END


End file.
